The Blue Rectangular Package
by Fading to Black
Summary: Renji and Rukia are doing a little shopping in a convenience store in Karakura town when they come across an item neither of them has ever seen before. Naturally, curiosity follows.


"What's that?"

Renji pointed to a shiny blue rectangular package. His countenance well-conveyed his boredom and stupidity. Rukia sighed and took a closer look at the packaged food. "Why, Renji, that's just some..." Rukia took a closer look at the package. Then she turned it around, studying its sides. She shook it. it seemed that it was sturdy inside because its contents didn't move much. Upside down produced some noise, like biting into a crunchy piece of lettuce. She shook her head, defeated.

"So, what is it?" Renji leaned back carefully, trying not to push anything off the shelf while being his usual overly-causal self.

"I don't know." Rukia glared at the package. Just glaring, because what she really wanted to do was throw a shot of red fire or shoot blue lightening at it, but she was sure the store owners wouldn't appreciate the redecoration. It just sat there, looking up at her. Taunting her. _How dare it taunt her!_

Renji picked it up and checked the price tag. "It's only three hundred yen-let's get it and ya can figure out what it is later. Who knew there was still stuff t' figure out in the real world?" He chuckled to himself, ignoring Rukia's glare. Or, rather, taking a rather perverse pleasure from it. Until he realized that he had insulted his own intelligence as well as Rukia's. Not only was that stupid on his part, but an angry Rukia was _angry_.

As to avoid the reiatsu or the kidou that would destroy the poor supermarket in the process of Rukia's temper tantrum, Renji just put the odd package in the cart and turned down the next aisle. Rukia caught up to him by the fruits.

"At least fruits are easy," Rukia muttered. "They don't try to kill you." Renji finally gained some sense between his redheaded ears and closed them, if a bit priggishly, to Rukia's complaining. He wouldn't give her another reason to be angry with him. If there was one thing he hated, it was being encased in ice for time on end. That was one experience he truly did not wish to repeat.

They browsed around a little more, picking up some red bean paste and plain, currently innocent riceballs for Inoue. They paid for the food and left, carrying a plastic bag prone to twisting at every movement. Rukia fairly growled at is as they walked back to the Kurosaki house, where Ichigo was waiting for them. They had bought the blue package, just to spite the sadistic people who had made the foul and detestable..._object_.

Rukia pulled out a pair of oranges and handed them to Renji before going to sit on a bench. Renji peeled them by a trashcan, handed one to Rukia, and took a huge bite out of the other. They started to walk again, ignoring the old people looking at them with hearts in their eyes who fairly screamed 'Young Love!'. It was rather annoying to the pair, who were more like siblings and best friends than a couple.

About as annoying to them as Ichigo's lack of formality was to Hitsugaya, who was convinced by Matsumoto that it would not be a good idea to pull out Hyorinmaru in the middle of the Kurosaki house in order to smite Ichigo. Barely convinced. But that was a whole other story. A whole other story indeed.

The pair made it back just in time to see Matsumoto running out of the Kurosaki clinic, and a bobbing white head some ways away on the sidewalk. Matsumoto didn't seem to notice them as she ran past. It was just as well. Curious, they followed, stepping into shunpo to catch up to the Vice Captain.

It was some ways away, at a park bench overlooking a beautiful vista of the real world trees and sky (not really) that they caught up. Hitsugaya pretended not to notice Matsumoto as she jumped around him, yelling for his attention, and generally making a scene and a superior racket. Eventually Hitsugaya acknowledged her. The conversation was too far for the to hear, and they walked off rather quickly, leaving a befuddled Renji and Rukia. The two hurried to catch up to the Tenth Squad members.

"Hey, Rangiku!" Renji called out. Matsumoto and Hitsugaya stopped to let him and Rukia catch up, as if noticing their presence for the first time. Which, considering their argument, it probably was.

"Captain Hitsugaya, Vice Captain Rangiku, do you know what this is? Or at least how to open it so we can find out what it is?" Rukia rummaged in the shopping bags until she found the odd package. "Here."

Rangiku retreated three steps and started to shake it every which way. Forty-five seconds later, Hitsugaya finished studying it. "You could open it by the sides, but without knowing what's in it, that might be a bad idea. Then again, shaking is was probably a bad idea." Hitsugaya gave it a scowl as he handed it back to Rukia.

"So what is it?" Renji drawled, getting to the point a lot more quickly than the others.

"Did I not just say that I didn't know?" Hitsugaya growled at the vice captain of the sixth. "Go ask Kurosaki, or something. He's _from _this messed up world, isn't he? Weren't you going to his home in the first place? So why did you follow me?"

Rukia bowed her head, tucking the package under her arm. "Sorry, Captain Hitsugaya. We'll ask him. We'll be going now!" She turned away and started to jog back where they had come from.

Renji nodded. "Yeah, sorry." Then he turned to the black-haired girl. "Rukia!" One flash step later brought him to where she was, and they retreated back in the direction of the clinic. Hitsugaya just put his fingers on his forehead and sighed.

"Come on, Matsumoto."

"Okay, Captain!"

And they started off again, going to the center of the park. Their mission to find and capture a certain powerful hollow for the 12th was complete, and it was high time to go home. There would be no more petty annoyances like the one still held in the hands of Rukia to interrupt them. If there was, it would be hiding in Soul Society. So Hitsugaya thought as he opened the Senkai Gate.

Rukia jumped onto the windowsill and opened it. It was amazing how easy Ichigo's lock was to pick, especially after all the wear and tear from the other shinigami doing he same thing whenever they wanted to check in with him. It was amazing how confused and irritated Ichigo was whenever they came in without an invitation. (i.e. him leaving the window open himself, which was not always actually supposed to be an invitation but was always taken as such when it was convenient by the other shinigami)

What was not amazing was that he didn't notice-his earplugs were in again. From Rukia's experience staying in his closet, she could tell that he kept the music on it really loud. It was a wonder he could still hear anything, let alone the soft tinkling of Kenpachi's bells in the screeching loudness of one of their battles.

"Ah, Ichigo." Renji called loudly, idly scratched one foot with the other. "What's this?" He pointed to the blue package. Rukia held it out, resting it on her forearms.

Ichigo turned in their direction, sighing. "Don't you know how to knock, Renji?" Renji didn't answer. Ichigo peeked over to see what it was. He started to chuckle. "You don't know what that is?"

"Nah, we don't." Renji glared. "If ya do, then why don't ya just _tell _us?"

"It's just a package of some American treats. They call 'em Oreos. It's like two bad chocolate cookies with a sweet creme in the middle. Why'd you buy that? Pocky's better than that junk, if you want a snack."

**AN: I was bored and watching Bleach. Deal with it. **


End file.
